On the heels of the sprawling 2009 double album Communion, which has earned the band some of the most favorable reviews of its 15-year career, Swedish psychedelic rock veterans The Soundtrack of Our Lives returned to Chicago and wrapped up a three-week US tour at Lincoln Hall Sunday night. The show began slightly later than the scheduled 9:15 start time, which was appropriate – fans possibly suffering from Olympic fatigue arrived in a steady trickle up until the band took the stage to a mostly full house.
The band played a varied set drawing equally from Communion and from the rest of its catalog. Highlights included a muscular version of “Big Time” that breathed new life into the single from 2005’s often-overlooked Origin Vol. I, Communion track “Flipside,” and a radical reworking of Nick Drake’s Bryter Layter classic “Fly” that frontman Ebbot Lundberg claimed was “one of our favorite songs, mostly because we didn’t write it.”
Much has been written about the iconoclastic Lundberg and his larger than life stage persona. The singer was a treat as always, resplendent in robes and scarf and in particularly fine voice (especially considering that it was the final night of the tour). Lundberg’s announcement to the crowd that T.S.O.O.L. was here to “take it easy and relax” was belied by the band’s intensity and energy level, in particular the high-kicking theatrics of red-clad guitarist Mattias Bärjed. To close the set, Bärjed and guitarist Ian Person traded kicks and heroic riffs during a rousing combination of Stones-y Communion track “Thrill Me” and “Sister Surround,” a single from the band’s 2002 stateside breakthrough Behind The Music.
Late in the show, Lundberg remarked to the crowd that the show “(felt) like a really short concert,” and it was. At 55 minutes and with only two bands (the opener Empires playing for only 30 minutes), the main set was disappointingly brief. The band satisfied, though, with a nearly thirty-minute encore featuring Behind The Music’s “Mind the Gap” and a transcendent “The Passover ” that saw Lundberg wander into the audience (a common occurrence at T.S.O.O.L. shows) and commandeer an obliging fan’s cowboy hat.
The performance was not without its hiccups. Though the sound at Lincoln Hall was excellent as always (especially in the treatment of Lundberg’s voice and the crystal-clear thump of Åke Karl Kalle Gustafsson’s bass guitar), there were continual problems with the visual component of the band’s show. A projected collection of images, video clips and visual effects was often out of sync with the songs and interrupted by computer command prompts. I was left wondering if the distraction of an elaborate and imperfect video presentation was necessary given the band’s formidable stage presence and constant movement, particularly in such a small venue. Also, the energy built up by the band’s magnetism in-song was occasionally derailed by long, awkward breaks. Lundberg’s banter (with the crowd, the band, and at times himself) amused, but a fairly quiet crowd and short set left one wanting for more fluidity between songs and downtime.
Ultimately, bearing witness to The Soundtrack of Our Lives is a strange and satisfying experience, and is highly recommended. The band’s energy is unmatched by most, the songs are tightly played but given a satisfying amount of room to “stretch out” sonically, and Lundberg’s unique personality and presence can only be fully appreciated in person. Sound clips, updates and more can be found at http://www.tsool.net or at http://www.myspace.com/officialtsool .
